Coffee's got the most caffeine -- 95 to 200 for a cup of generic coffee (depends on whether it's mild, medium, strong etc), tea's about 45 for black tea. I reckon herbal tea would be less. I routinely start the day with 2 cups of coffee, switch to water after that and sometimes throw in a cup or two more of coffee.

Ruth in Cookeville, TN Central Time Zone

Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think - Christopher Robin to Pooh

the desired effect of drinking water is to flush out your system. i mean, the parts that need a bit more will take what they want, but mostly it's to keep things moving where they should be. and having had many, many, far too many years where the only liquids i ingested were soda and some occasional tea, your body will take water from whatever you give it. if you only give it soda, it's not going to kill you, your body is just going to filter out everything on that ingredient label besides water and then divert the water where it needs to go. as has already been noted, the diuretic properties are pretty minimal [and if you think you pee a lot more when you drink coffee and tea, pay attention to how much you drink. i can only get in two cups of water first thing in the morning, but i can go through four cups of tea like no one's business. so it's not so much that tea is a diuretic, just that it's easier to drink twice the amount, thus the increase in urine. and i'm nowhere near the coffee drinking caffeine addicts i know].

Yeah, I know what you mean about the bathroom...for some reason tonight it was going right through me, probably because of the coffee.

I always thought tea was higher in caffeine than coffee? Interesting.

~The Kerrnel

"I didn't come here to be ordinary."

MISSRUTH
Posts:
4,047
10/31/11 7:39 A

I looked on the Mayo Clinic website, and it says coffee isn't a diuretic unless you consume more than 5 - 7 cups a day. Coffee has more caffeine than tea. Personally, if I have an occasion to drink a lot of coffee, I make sure I also drink extra water. If I'm using the coffee to help me stay awake, the extra water also helps because no way can I nod off if I have to go to the bathroom because I'm drinking so many fluids!

Ruth in Cookeville, TN Central Time Zone

Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think - Christopher Robin to Pooh

We're encouraged to drink 8 x 8oz glasses of water a day. Generally coffee and tea (including herbal teas) don't really count as they have caffeine and are diuretics.

That said, my question is, if I'm working overnight or whatever and am drinking coffee, is there any disadvantage to drinking say a glass or two in between coffees? Does it negate the desired "effect" of drinking your water?

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